Chapter 11: The Dragon Seal Guardians

Jiaran’s cheeks flushed red. She shot him a glare and scolded, “You’ve got thick skin—what’s a little blood to you? Wait here, I’ll get the violet antiseptic! Xiaosan, your family has some, right?” Ye Xiaoxuan nodded quickly, beckoning, “We do! Let’s go inside first, I was scared out of my wits just now!”

Ye Dajun and Jiaran exchanged looks of exasperation.

To the north of the village lay a vast expanse of grassland, and beyond that, the ancient woods. This grassland was where the old shepherd grazed his flock. Because he had saved the Ye brothers, Chen Tianlei, perhaps wary of causing trouble, had surprisingly left them alone these past few days and had not returned since that night.

Recently, Ye Dajun and Ye Xiaoxuan had been keeping the old shepherd company as he tended his sheep. At this moment, Ye Xiaoxuan was chewing on a blade of grass, seated atop a dirt mound, and said to the old shepherd, who lay nearby with his legs crossed, sipping wine, “I never would’ve guessed you were such a master!”

The old shepherd snorted disdainfully, ignoring him. He turned to Ye Dajun, who was kneeling nearby, and asked, “Are you done kneeling yet, you stubborn lad? What do you want?”

Ye Dajun stubbornly remained kneeling before the old shepherd, his face set with determination, and quietly said, “I want to become your apprentice!” The old shepherd looked at him, puzzled. “You want to learn how to herd sheep from me?”

Ye Xiaoxuan slapped his thigh and burst out laughing, shouting at Ye Dajun, “He’s playing dumb! If you want to become his apprentice, you need to bring at least a bucket of wine!” The old shepherd cackled, “Your younger brother is much smarter than you!”

Ye Dajun was overjoyed, thumping his chest like a gorilla, and vowed to the shepherd, “Master, from now on, I’ll supply all the wine you need for your three meals a day!”

Ye Xiaoxuan grinned, chiming in, “Then I’ll provide the meat and dishes. These sheep look delicious…”

The old shepherd lashed out with his whip, glaring, “Don’t you dare lay a finger on my precious flock!”

Ye Xiaoxuan didn’t even try to dodge—he couldn’t have, anyway. The old shepherd’s skills surpassed even Chen Tianlei’s; Ye Xiaoxuan couldn’t escape his whip, not even with eight legs!

He didn’t dodge, but the old shepherd frowned, sat upright, widened his eyes, and suddenly flicked his whip again. Like a venomous snake, it lashed Ye Xiaoxuan’s back with a sharp crack!

Ye Xiaoxuan, deeply annoyed, protested, “Old man, isn’t that enough? I was only joking—I’m not actually going to eat your sheep!”

The old shepherd ignored him completely and brought the whip down again, this time across Ye Xiaoxuan’s chest. Even Ye Dajun couldn’t stand by anymore; he grabbed the whip and pleaded, “Master, my brother’s always like this—he really was just joking!”

With a flick of his wrist, the old shepherd snatched the whip back, drew an arc through the air, and brought it down hard on Ye Dajun’s shoulder!

Ye Dajun’s body shuddered, his lips twitching, but he held his ground, not moving an inch. The old shepherd looked at him in surprise, then stood up, swung his right arm in a circle, and lashed his whip again—this time landing it on Ye Dajun’s back, tearing his shirt and leaving a bloody gash!

Ye Dajun clenched his teeth, his expression almost breaking into tears, his body trembling, yet he stayed kneeling with his back straight, silent and stoic! The old shepherd’s arm had already swung several times—if he struck again, Ye Dajun would surely be split in two!

Unable to take it any longer, Ye Dajun raised his hand and cried out to the shepherd, “Master, if you kill me, I won’t complain, but before I die, at least tell me what mistake I made, so I can die knowing why!”

The old shepherd paused, whip in midair, and asked, “Does it hurt?” Ye Dajun’s face contorted in pain, but he gritted his teeth and answered, “No, it doesn’t!”

The old shepherd examined his whip curiously, muttering, “Impossible! Have my skills waned? Am I getting old and weak? Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?”

Ye Dajun, unsure how to respond, looked at the old shepherd in confusion. “Master, do you want to hear that it hurts or not?”

The old shepherd, irritated, lashed him again, cursing, “I want the truth!” Ye Dajun leapt up with a cry, tears streaming, and nodded urgently, “It hurts—it hurts like hell!”

The old shepherd turned and whipped Ye Xiaoxuan, who was still lying on the ground, watching the commotion with his legs crossed. “Does it hurt?” he demanded.

Ye Xiaoxuan rolled his eyes. “I don’t feel a thing.”

Ye Dajun stared at him, eyes wide. “You really don’t feel it?”

Ye Xiaoxuan stood up, swung his arms, and said, “Honestly, nothing!”

The old shepherd’s face darkened. His whip sliced through the air with a howling wind, like a bomber diving down, and then swept down upon Ye Xiaoxuan’s head!

Ye Xiaoxuan was engulfed by the shadow of the whip, the strikes resounding like firecrackers, bits of clothing flying everywhere. In less than three minutes, Ye Xiaoxuan was left wearing nothing but a pair of shorts!

“You old scoundrel!” Ye Xiaoxuan’s face turned red as he crossed his arms to protect his bare chest. The old shepherd barked sternly, “Move your hands!”

Ye Xiaoxuan glared back. “In your dreams!” The old shepherd flicked his whip, pulling Ye Xiaoxuan toward him, and peered intently at his body. With a gasp, he exclaimed, “Could this be…?”

Ye Dajun blinked in surprise, grabbing Ye Xiaoxuan’s arms and spreading them apart, staring at the faintly glowing red pattern on his skin. “Xiaosan, when did you get a tattoo?”

The old shepherd’s voice trembled with excitement as he touched the fierce, writhing dragon design on Ye Xiaoxuan’s body. “This isn’t a tattoo. I think it’s the legendary Dragon Seal Armor! Could the ancient martial sect’s Turtle Shell Secret be real? Did the Martial Emperor truly exist?”

Ye Xiaoxuan and Ye Dajun exchanged bewildered glances, unable to make sense of the old shepherd’s mutterings. Impatiently, Ye Xiaoxuan brushed his hand away. “Enough, old glass—have you finished groping?”

The old shepherd snapped to attention, pulled the two brothers down to sit beside him, and lowered his voice. “You mustn’t tell anyone about what happened today.”

Ye Xiaoxuan was taken aback. “What happened? You stripped me? Are you afraid your beastly behavior will become public?”

The old shepherd glared, pointing at the dragon pattern that was gradually fading from Ye Xiaoxuan’s skin. “I mean your skin! There’s something strange about it, and I can’t be sure what it is yet. Don’t let anyone know about this secret, or you’ll bring disaster upon yourself!”

Ye Xiaoxuan lowered his head, staring at his body in confusion. “My skin? What’s so special about it?”

The old shepherd picked up a twig and drew it across Ye Xiaoxuan’s shoulder—it slid over as if across water, leaving no mark. He then drew it across Ye Dajun’s arm, instantly opening a bloody groove. Smugly, he looked at them. “See? Nothing can pierce it!”